Administration of Justice: Chicanos in Monterey County (From Criminal Justice and Latino Communities, P 47-56, 1995, Antoinette S. Lopez, ed. - See NCJ-168536)

• NCJ Number: 168538
• Author(s): H Garza
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: Garland Publishing, Inc.
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

Data from 187 second-degree burglary cases processed in Monterey County (Calif.) formed the basis of an analysis of differential handling of white and Hispano American defendants at each decision stage in the trial process.

Abstract

The defendants were all males over age 21 and were not alcoholic or drug addicts. The sample included 68 Hispanic Americans and 119 white defendants. The research sought to determine the extent to which variations in handling could be accounted for by the ethnic variable, to what extent they could be accounted for by social class, and to what extent by a combination of the two. The analysis controlled for prior criminal record and current criminal charges. Results revealed a relationship between ethnicity and social class at every stage of the trial process. The likelihood of negative differential handling increased when Hispano American ethnicity and lower social class were both present. Findings supported the hypothesis of differential handling as measured by ethnicity and social class; ethnicity was the more significant factor, but lower-class status or prior criminal record increased the likelihood of negative handling. Table, notes, and 10 references